Memorials

[iamnottheone]

Springsteen sidekick, sax man Clarence Clemons dies

Saxophonist Clarence Clemons, a defining musical influence behind the sound of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, died Saturday of complications from a stroke. He was 69.

Clemons died at a hospital in Palm Beach, Florida, where he was undergoing treatment after suffering a stroke last Sunday, said a spokesperson for Springsteen and the E Street Band. His fifth wife, Victoria, and other family members were at his side when he died, according to the spokesperson.

"His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly 40 years," Springsteen said in a statement posted on the band's website. "He was my great friend, my partner, and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band."

The saxophonist's influence can be heard throughout Springsteen's musical evolution, including such early hits as "Born to Run" and "Thunder Road."



http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/19/clarence.clemons.obit/index.html?hpt=en_c2